In the latest episode of The Food Professor podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois are joined by the esteemed Dr. Ian Lee, an Associate Professor at Carleton University. Together, they delve into a series of pressing topics in food and agriculture, leveraging Dr. Lee's extensive knowledge and experience. The discussion covers competition in the food industry, the anticipated impact of the Code of Conduct, and Canada's economic outlook.The episode kicks off with a crucial conversation about the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) and its potential implications for Canada. The hosts then turn their attention to Statistics Canada's food basket pricing, a topic of significant interest and debate, questioning whether it underestimates or overestimates the real costs. They reference a Toronto Sun column penned by Sylvain that highlights some discrepancies in the pricing.Attention shifts to the upcoming US Farm Bill, which is anticipated to allocate $1.4 trillion over ten years, juxtaposed against Canada's comparatively modest $3.5 billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) over five years. The hosts also correct a previous claim regarding Amazon's "just walk out" technology, clarifying misconceptions about the system's operation.The conversation further explores the evolving landscape of automation in meatpacking, highlighting Smithfield's initiative to deploy robots for tasks like rib pulling, significantly reducing waste and reassigning workers to less physically demanding roles. This shift toward automation, exemplified by Smithfield's strategy to reassign about 500 employees annually, marks a transformative phase in food production, aiming for higher efficiency and worker safety.Lastly, we touch upon the wine industry's challenges, noting a significant surplus in California's bulk wine market, showcasing the broader economic and logistical complexities facing today's food and agriculture sectors.Statistics Canada PHOTO BY TONY CALDWELL/POSTMEDIAhttps://www.wsj.com/business/meet-the-robots-slicing-your-barbecue-ribs-338a7794?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1About IanI am an Associate Professor at Carleton University in the Sprott School where I started in 1988, teaching the 4th year and(later) the MBA Strategic Management capstone course, as well as related courses such as International Business Strategy, from then to now. After dropping out of grade 12 in 1971, I worked at a series of minimum wage jobs for 3 years in the early 1970s. In 1974, I started with an American financial services multinational as a credit manager trainee eventually becoming a Branch Manager in several branches in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. I was then recruited in 1977 by Canada’s oldest bank (that predates Canada by a half century), where I was given outstanding training in banking, economics and management by British bankers. I was employed at the BMO Main Office Branch (4thlargest in all Canada at that time) at 144 Wellington and Sparks opposite Parliament Hill and beside the National Press Club (Parliament subsequently acquired, refurbished and renamed the branch as Sir John A. Macdonald Building for Parliament Hill receptions). As Loan and Mortgage Manager in my mid 20s, I dealt with cabinet ministers in the Trudeau Government, Senators, MPs, national journalists, Supreme Court judges, deputy ministers, national NGOs and staff of embassies including the Chinese and USSR Ambassadors, as well as national institutions such as the Bank of Canada. And in that capacity throughout those years, I evaluatedpersonal and corporate financial statements and lent millions and millions of dollars in demand loans, consumer loans, mortgage loans and business loans.  After completing my entire undergraduate degree on a part time basis in the evenings over 10 years while employed full time, I resigned from the bank to enroll full time in a master’s degree in public policy in 1982 at Carleton University. However, I completed the second year of the master’